More swap results, another new mug rug, a bitty or 2 and who knows what else...

 I decided to make one more mug rug to see if my partner in the swap liked this one better than any of the others.  Some red/aqua, linen, thread painting/sketching...... kind of simple, not too fussy and I had to photograph it under the only red/yellow tulip that bloomed.  :)  I think I'll be sending this one away, along with the "wake up world" clock.

 And I received my mug rug!  Made by Nannette/nanotchka, it's the most beautiful butterfly/flower mug rug!  Made with the most amazing hand-dyed fabrics and so much talent, I purely love this mug rug and she had to know it, too, because I commented on all her photos as she was making it!  I got so excited to see her name on the envelope that it came in, along with all the neat loot, too!  (Shell buttons, pieces of the dyed fabrics, a nice note and some Chenille It {which she used on her quilt that is on the cover of the new issue of Quiltmania! Yes, Nann is quite famous now!})

 Check out all the details!  LOVE THIS!  It's going up on the wall, no way could I ever actually use it! My photos aren't doing it justice for some reason, it's very vibrant!

 I joined my first bee- it's for bitty blocks, we have a limited number of members and each member has a month where they determine what their theme is and we all make that person 2 blocks.  The first month is Marilyn's and she requested "bees" and things that go with bees.  So I found a wonderful source for new patterns  and she had one for a paper-pieced hive, and I shrunk it down to a 3" block and made it yesterday.  It wasn't as hard to do as I thought it would be, but I'm glad I only had to do one of them.  :)  If I had to make this 11 more times, I'd freak!  lol

 A few embroidered details....

At the Bitty Block Committee, we're going to do a side-swap with the theme of Alice in Wonderland.  One of my blocks will be Alice playing flamingo croquet.  Hopefully I can make this work!  In side swaps, we occasionally relax the rules so we can make taller blocks, this one will be 3.5" x 5.5".  Hopefully I can make it work!  My other block is going to be wild, crazy mushrooms.  I had to go to the library to get the book because I had never read it.  I'm glad I didn't read it as a child, it's very odd.  The Wizard of Oz movie freaked me out, I'm not sure Alice wouldn't have, too.

My FLiQS partner got my Wheel of Fortune quilt and now I can tell you, it went to the UK, to my friend, Jo- aka sewjo2009!  I loved making it for her, she's a real sweetheart of a lady. 

My lilacs are blooming like crazy, there are so many butterflies on it, I'll go get some photos to share.  The aroma is fabulous!

Enjoy your day!  It's a sunny one here!

Spring Mug Rug time! And NP's evil twin sister makes an appearance!

It's time for Spring Mug Rugs!  Here, the early bird is hoping to catch a little worm.  Eeeek! 

The artwork is from a rubber stamp from rubberhedgehog.  This company makes great rubber stamps!

I changed the hat to a beanie.

 Spring really IS here, though and it's early, too, just like that bird.  Our redbuds are just lovely, there's a hill that runs all along the back of our house and keeps going, and the redbuds are plentiful there.  This is taken from my balcony- looking down into the redbuds, thru the tulip tree, is even more beautiful than viewing them from below.

A red and aqua mug rug with a clock that wants to wake you up to the fact that 

Spring is almost HERE!  Yay!

And the good Nosey Parker modeled for a mug rug, sniffing on some tulips!

 Her evil twin is a tad cranky that Daddy is messing with her during her nap.  She looks mean, doesn't she?  Good thing she's a lightweight, small cat!

 The ears are a clear warning! "Don't touch me with that thumb again, Mister!" 

He did.  LOL

I hope you're having a pretty spring, too!  We sat out in the sun for an hour yesterday, it felt great, but the mud-daubers are just awful right now.  I'm so glad they aren't aggressive.

Disaster waiting to happen- with your iron!

 I don't usually give any cleaning advice, like I don't give cooking advice, since I don't feel qualified, LOL, but I had to pass this along- beware of what is lurking in your iron!

I was pressing something when this mark appeared out of nowhere, on the muslin that I have lying on the towel that is my current ironing board cover.  Feeble, I know, but it works.  

What the heck is that mark?  That is what it looked like after I touched it.  It's like soot, but it's not soot.  It's LINT!  Soft, fluffy lint and the only place it could have come from is ..... that iron!

 See all that, in between the sole and body?  Horrors!  It must come out!  

Obviously, I never look in there. 

 It's not real noticeable, unless you're looking down the crack.

 Here's what I used- paintbrush was a dud, the chenille stem worked great and the canned air finished it off nicely. 

I got more marks on the muslin while doing this, too, which made me mad because I was being really careful.  That stuff is sneaky, it spreads like crazy (don't sneeze!) and makes stains that are darn near impossible to get out.  A Tide pen is handy if you do have a disaster, though.

 

I strongly encourage all you quilters to check your iron because if it's happening in mine, it will happen in anyone's.  Good luck, be careful!  Oh, P.S.- this stuff accumulates inside your sewing machine, too and can and will fall out at THE most inopportune moments, while you are sewing on something white!  Another good reason to keep your machine maintained and cleaned and oiled.  :)

Nosey Parker- Killing Me With Her Cuteness...

 No words, just 3 photos of Her Adorableness, Nosey Parker.

That is all.  As you were.  :)